Protective can opener



Dec.

B. R. KOCH 2,726,439

PROTECTIVE CAN OPENER Filed Feb. 25. 1954 fi zvaniar ,Ben km/n 1?.)(ac):

United States Patent PROTECTIVE CAN OPENER Benjamin R. Koch, Peoria,ill. Application February 25, 1954, Serial No. 412,438 I 9 Claims. (Cl.30-6.1)

The present invention relates to a can opener for liquid containers and,more particularly, relates to an improvement in can top piercing toolswhereby a plurality of relatively small, closely spaced turned-edgeopenings are provided.

As those familiar with the can opening art are generally aware, can toppiercing tools of the type shown in the patent to DeWitt F. Sampson etal. No. 1,996,550 have been in general use for a number of years. Theseopeners have been conventionally used with beverage cans having flattops, and are particularly suitable for such canned beverages as beerand the like intended for adult consumption. Until very recently,substantially all of the beverages packed in such fiat topped containersand capable of top piercing by such a tool, have been intended not onlyfor adult consumption but have been of the type in which adults havebeen those operating the opening tool. However, it is now proposed thatsoft drinks and similar beverages having their major market appeal withyoungsters, be packaged in the so-called fiat topped can having a rolledtop edge, constructed generally in accordance with the type of can nowin almost universal use in the packaging of beer. In deciding to marketsuch a canned soft drink, however, it became immediately apparent thatthe top piercing can opener of the type shown in the above mentionedpatent to Sampson et al., could not be successfully used in opening suchcans for small children.

As is well known, the aperture provided by the conventional canopener'of the top piercing type is of a size sufiicient that even anadult finger may be inserted in the opening. Further, should thebeverage be drunk directly from the can, it is possible to insert onestongue substantially through the aperture. While these failings are, ofcourse, of little significance where adults are concerned it will beimmediately recognized that such an opening in a tin can will be verydangerous where children are involved. This is true since in the canpiercing operation, the can metal is actually sheared inwardly of thecan top and a rather extensive, sharp edge is provided along theperiphery of the pierced opening. This sharp edge can easily cause a cutin the relatively tender skin of a small child, especially when it isremembered that small children have a tendency toward extreme curiosityand may demonstrate the trait by attempting to insert their fingers ortongues in such a convenient opening, if provided.

In view of the above, it has been considered an absolute requirement bythe beverage industry that a safer opening be provided in the top cansurface. The can opener of the present invention satisfactorily solvesthis problem and has simultaneously provided such a safe opening withoutthe need of expensive and clumsy can piercing tools. While applicant is,of course, aware of tools intended for the production of relativelysmall pierced apertures, nevertheless the known tools of the prior artcompletely fail to provide an inexpensive can-piercing tool capable ofproviding small, closely spaced apertures of a safeconstruction. Thus,no tool is now known that is acceptable to the beverage trade from thepoint of view of safety of the pierced opening produced and from thepoint of view of inexpensiveness in the manufacture.

In solving the above problems, applicant has provided hereby apierce-type can opener of the lever action variety. Three relativelyslender, spaced, forwardly and downwardly extending piercing prongs areprovided for sequential engagement with the top surface of the can. Byproviding slender piercing portions and by providing them relativelyclose together, the present tool pierces the can top in such a manner asto produce downturned pierced flanges sufiiciently close together toprevent the insertion in the opening of any body portions, no matter howsmall, while at the same time providing a relatively closely knit,compact can opening wherein the beverage issuing forth will convergeinto a single compact stream.

Further, through the provision of sequentially operating piercingprojections or points, the present apparatus permits the selectivepiercing of a multiple hole group as above described, or alternatively,a single relatively small, air hole which is likewise of a size so smallas to completely prevent the possibility of injury to small children.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novelcan opener for piercing a group of closely spaced small apertures in atin can top.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety canopener for piercing small openings having inwardly deflected shearededges, spaced so close together as to prevent the insertion therein ofany body portions to an extent sufficient to permit contact with thesharp edge of said sheared edges.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel, andextremely simple, can opener capable of selectively and sequentiallypiercing a flat can top with three elongated yet narrow, openingspositioned side by side adjacent one edge of said can top.

A feature of the present invention is the provision of a one-piecestamped lever type can opener capable of producing a plurality of small,side by side, apertures sufficiently large to permit the rapid drainageof a can but not having a suflicient distance between side walls toprevent the insertion within the opening of any body portions.

Still other and further objects and features of the present inventionwill at once become apparent to those skilled in the art from aconsideration of the attached sheet of drawings wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of the can opener constructed according to thepresent invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the can opener constructedaccording to the principles of the present invention;

Figure 3 is an angularly disposed plan view more fully illustrating theconstruction of the piercing portion thereof; and taken along line HIIIIof Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a tin can or similar vessel pierced by thetool shown in Figures 1 through 3; and

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of Figure 4and more fully illustrating the construction of the pierced openingsprovided by the can opener of the present invention.

As shown on the drawings:

In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, a fiat strip ofsheet steel 'is stamped into the form shown in Figures 1 through 3.There, a handle 10 is pierced to provide a downwardly projecting can toplid engaging lip 11 and a series of three piercing teeth 12 13 and 14.At the opposite end, a conventional bottle opener l5 and a hangeraperture 16 are also 'providediif desired. However, the pierced portions15 and 16 form no part of the present invention and they may bedispensed with if preferred.

As may be seen from Figure 3, the piercing fingers 12, 13 and 14preferably are somewhat pyramid in shape.

Thus, the side wall 12a of the prong 12 will, for example, lie along anacute angle A relative to the side a of the handle 10. Similarly, theremaining piercing portions 13 and 14 are also provided with a slightaxial taper. This taper is provided for the purpose of providing anaperture having a very slight taper to it. The piercing fingers 12, 13and 14 may also be provided with relief along the thickness dimension ifdesired. Both the length and thickness relief or taper aid in preventingdeflection of the edges of the pierced aperture upwardly upon removal ofthe tool from the cam and are preferably used since it is desired thatno sharp edges be positioned adjacent the surface of the pierced cantop.

As will be seen from the drawings, the piercing fingers 12, 13 and 14are quite narrow compared to those heretofore known in the prior art.Aside from the fact that such narrow piercing fingers provide smallerapertures, they also tend to form narrow apertures having a moreextensive inturned lip area. Thus as may be seen from a consideration ofFigure 5, the apertures 20, 21 and 22 are all bounded by sharplydownturned, rounded portions a, 21a and 22a. It has been found that theuse of relatively narrow piercing fingers has increased the tendency ofthe sheet metal of the can top to dent or turn in slightly immediatelybefore shearing in the piercing operation and, as a result, the narrowapertures are almost perfectly safe to the touch. This is true since itis practically impossible to insert a body portion into the aperture andextend suflicient to catch the sharp edges 20b, 211;, or 22b of thepierced opening.

It will, of course, be apparent that the apertures 20, 21 and 22 may beof substantially the same length as each other and all of them may, ofcourse, be substantially the same length as that shown for the aperture20. However, in order to provide progressive application of the piercingwork load, it is preferred that the center aperture 20 be somewhatlonger and be started ahead of the others. For this reason, theapertures 21 and 22 are shown as shorter, though not to any appreciableextent wider than the aperture 20. The apertures 21 and 22 may, ofcourse, be somewhat longer than shown if desired, while still retainingthe progressive action of the piercing tool.

While the angle A shown in the drawings approximates 2, it will beunderstood that a slightly greater taper may be provided in the piercingfingers if desired. The angle should, however, be kept at a small valuein order to provide maximum length of the aperture while permitting freewithdrawal of the tool upon completion of the piercing operation. Bythis providing a long, narrow aperture the accessibility of the sharpedge of the aperture is retained at a minimum due to the nearness of theopposite sides of the aperture to each other and further due to theinwardly deflected nature of the edge of the aperture. As was pointedout above, the use of a narrow piercing finger actually provides amaximum inward deflecting action, thereby further increasing theinaccessibility of the edge of the pierced aperture over theconventional triangular or wide aperture.

It has been found that a pouring aperture of up to approximately inch inwidth is quite safe but it is to be understood that a Width up toapproximately /4 inch is permissible where the material pierced willinitially deflect to a substantial extent. It is also preferred that atleast ,4 inch be retained between adjacent apertures in order to permitthe desired deflection around the edges of the apertures.

As has been discussed above, the present tool will operate tosatisfactorily pierce a single relatively small aperture such as thatshown at 25 in Figure 4. This aper' ture is utilized as an air vent andis provided by performing only the initial portion of the sequentialpiercing operation. Thus, only the piercing finger 12 shears the metalduring the piercing step required to produce the aperture 25. It will,of course, be apparent that the size of the aperture 25 will beregulated to a certain extent by the relative lengths of the piercingfingers 12, 13 and 14, with the length of aperture becoming smaller asthe fingers 13 and 14 approach the length of finger 12.

From the above description, it will be apparent that I have provided anovel and highly effective can top piercing tool capable of providing aseries of narrow, extremely safe apertures adjacent the rim of a canwhereby the chances of injury by the user are substantially eliminated.It will, of course, be understood that variations and modifications maybe made in the preferred embodiment of the invention, set forth above,and it is therefore my intention to be limited only as required by thescope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A protective piercing tool for cutting a plurality of narrowside-by-side openings adjacent the peripheral edge of the top of a canhaving a laterally projecting upper lip, comprising means for securingsaid tool to said lip for pivotal motion thereabout, a handle portionfor actuating said tool, and a plurality of slender projecting piercingfingers adjacent said means for sequential engagement with the surfaceof said can top upon pivotal motion of said tool about said lip.

2. A protective piercing tool for cutting a plurality of narrow openingsin the top of a can having a laterally projecting upper lip, comprisingmeans for securing said tool to said lip for pivotal motion thereabout,a handle portion for actuating said tool, and a plurality of slenderprojecting piercing fingers for sequential engagement with the surfaceof said can top upon pivotal motion of said tool about said lip, saidslender piercing fingers being positioned immediately adjacent eachother and spaced apart a distance approximately the same as their width.

3. A protective piercing tool for cutting a plurality of narrowside-by-side openings in the top of a can adjacent the laterallyprojecting peripheral lip thereof, comprising means for securing saidtool to said lip for pivotal motion thereabout, a handle portion foractuating said tool, and a plurality of slender projecting piercingfingers adjacent said means for sequential engagement with the surfaceof said can top upon pivotal motion of said tool about said lip, saidslender fingers having a very slight taper along their lengths wherebythe maximum downturning of the edges of the pierced opening is providedwithout at the same time permitting upward deflection of the peripheralopening edges upon removal of the tool from the pierced aperture cutthereby.

4. A lever type can opener for piercing a plurality of safety openingsin the top of a can having a laterally extending top lid, comprising, ahande portion, a fulcrum portion secured to said handle portion forcontrolling movement of said tool about said lip, a plurality of slenderpiercing fingers secured to said handle on the opposite side of saidfulcrum from said handle portion having a width substantially less thanone-quarter inch and being spaced from the adjacent fingers by adistance of at least one-sixteenth inch.

5. A lever type can opener for piercing a plurality of safety openingsin the top of a can having a laterally extending top lid, comprising, ahandle portion, a fulcrum portion secured to said handle portion forcontrolling movement of said opener about said lip, a plurality ofslender piercing fingers secured to said handle adjacent said fulcrumand having a width substantially less than one-quarter inch and beingspaced from the adjacent fingers by a distance of at least one-sixteenthinch.

6. A lever type can opener for piercing a plurality of safety openingsin the top of a can having a laterally extending top lid, comprising, ahandle portion, a fulcrum portion secured to said handle portion forcontrolling the movement of said opener about said lip, a plurality ofslender piercing fingers secured to said handle adjacent said fulcrum,each of said fingers having substantially greater length than Width andhaving a maximum width measured along a line drawn perpendicular to thelonger of the side edges of said finger of approximately onequarter inchor less.

7. A protective piercing tool for cutting a plurality of narrow openingsin the top of a can, each of which is of a dimension smaller than thetip of a child's finger, comprising means to engage an edge of the cantop for pivotal movement thereabout, a handle portion for actuating saidtool and at least threerelatively slender spaced fork-like pointedpiercing prongs projecting generally parallel from said handle portionbeyond said means and with an intermediate prong of greater length thanothers on opposite sides thereof for piercing the can top prior to thepiercing engagement of the top by said other prongs and whereby saidintermediate prong is effective to punch a larger opening in the can topthan that made by other side prongs.

8. The tool of claim 7 further characterized by the 6 side edges of saidintermediate prong being slightly tapere lengthwise of the prong so thatsaid edges diverge toward said handle portion.

9. The tool of claim 7 further characterized by each of said prongsbeing shaped to form generally wedgeshaped-like openings in the can topwith the side openings converging toward the intermediate openingpunched by the intermediate prong.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,338,300 Hawkins Apr. 27, 1920 2,090,085 Wegner Aug. 17, 1937 2,135,116Shaffer Nov. 1, 1938 2,195,253 Meier Mar. 26, 1940 2,251,200 Pohle July29, 1941 2,578,462 Codiga Dec. 11, 1951

